[PP-F2] Cruel Fate <Itzal and Morgenstern>

[Itzal 0]

Not too long ago, Itzal and Jonathan had cleared a quest that Itzal believed was cruel beyond belief.  The quest was a boss fight mission and the target was a dragon.  Most would question how this was cruel or unusual but that wasn't all of the details.  The worst part was that the dragon was an infant.  A baby.  Itzal hated and despised Kayaba for this and wouldn't forgive him for making such an inhumane quest such as this one.  He had sent a message to Jonathan a moment ago and was now waiting for him in his Niger Natio armor.  The weapon Jonathan had given him, Faithkeeper, hung on his side while he wore Skyreach.  In other words, this was his loot gear.  Well, everything but his armor was.  If he switched to Twilight cloak then it would be.  Otherwise it was in case Jonathan wasn't going to tank around normal monsters.  Itzal had floors one through three completely mapped out, but he had an idea as to what they could do on the third floor.  The shaman was almost fully recovered so they could talk to him by the time they reached the floor.  All Itzal knew was that he wanted to get this questline over with.  Apparently it went all the way up to the tenth floor.  Or did it end on the ninth?  Regardless they'd be taking a journey up the floors killing dragon infants despite how much Itzal despised it.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

The Dawn Breaker walked next to Itzal in Urbus. They were both not the happiest with the game. Forcing them upon a quest killing infant dragons. "This better have the BEST rewards ever." he stated. Itzal had gone silent since he had completely and utterly decimated the dragon. He had a itching feeling that the man was a bit unhappy with him for that. He would ensure he would play the tanking role this time and not just attack. Unless he saw an open target this time. "This entire quest line just sucks period. I serously thought I was signing up to help dragons" Maiden's Kiss remained sheathed in his shield, an appearance he had taken from the commander of the KoB. It looked much more serious and dignified. He held up the shield with his left hand, the silver kite shield's Sun emblem gleamed brightly in the sunlight. "Enjoy this floor now. I here that future ones are going through their rainy season." He told the man glumly. He wondered where the next dragon would be located at. They would probably have to do a bit of searching beforehand. 

---

83319 LD:13. No Materials Retrieved. 

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal heard his friend approach him and began to walk beside him, mentioning how the rewards had better be the best.  Itzal shook his head.  "I very much doubt it.  Like most of the quest rewards this will probably give us some form of gear that, while is powerful, neither of us have a use for.  I think the overall experience it gives will be great though so we have that going for us.  Anyways, we better hurry this up and get it over with."  He walked quietly again, Velnia snuggled up on his shoulder and resting against Itzal in hopes to comfort him.  "Fearx wouldn't hesitate," he mumbled quietly to himself.  Fearx.  He had reappeared recently and had declared the ultimate challenge.  The next time they ran into each other, Fearx would undoubtedly challenge him to a duel in order to test his strength.  He doubted that the golden armored player would hang around the lower floors however.  More than likely he was training on the twentieth floor as they walked.  Upon Jonathan's words Itzal gave a weak chuckle.  "I have to love this floor.  It's going to be where my house will be."  He had forgotten that he didn't tell Jonathan he was getting the house soon...  Or that he'd be proposing soon.  He should probably tell his best friend that.

ID#  83322  LD:  2

@Morgenstern

Edited April 28, 2017 by Itzal

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan would listen to Itzal's Pessimistic views about the quest rewards. Jonathan knew that the man would probably be completely right, but that was no reason to be down about it the entire time. "Well... At least there is some PST rewards eh?" Sol would reland on his shoulder and scout on as they walked, the bird on the search for anything of value or interest. Itzal mentioned his love for the floor. "Love it that much eh? It is really nice." He would mention a house and Jonathan would grimace. He did not believe you could get a house on such a floor. "Well. Good luck with that man. It would be a nice place for a house. I am probably going to get one on the thirteenth floor" He chuckled. He loved the architecture at Angel's Point and he wanted his house to be there. "I have just been farming a bit of col here and there to earn enough for it" He looked over to Itzal as they walked. 

---

83432 LD:3
0 Materials found so far. 
@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal heard his friend try to lift his spirits although he wasn't sure what he meant by PST.  He smiled at his friend.  "Yeah, thanks man."  Velnia turned and saw Sol and immediately she perked up, a large grin appearing on her face.  She seemed to have teleported over to Jonathan's shoulder beside Sol and gave a tiny lick with the tip of her tongue on Sol before nuzzling against him, making it clear that she missed him.  Itzal nodded.  "Why wouldn't I?  This floor is beautiful, calm, peaceful.  The perfect place for me."  And Kasier he thought to himself.  He heard that Jonathan was planning to get a house of his own on the thirteenth floor.  "Really?  Well then, I'll have to help you get col after I've bought mine.  I'm uh, a little pressed on time for that after all.  And after this we can col grind together if you want."  Itzal spotted a few materials and picked them up, inserting them into his inventory.

ID#  83686  LD:  12+8  +4 MAt

@Morgenstern

Edited May 3, 2017 by Itzal

[Morgenstern 1]

He would stop in his tracks as he realized the error of his words. "PST? Jeez I need sleep. Try SP" He laughed and then started forward again. The blond would walk in front of Itzal, listening intently. "Eh, thanks for the offer. I really am in no rush to get a house. I just figured it would be more comfortable and help me with my crafting" He chuckled, watching as the man moved to the ground to retrieve some materials. "When I look at it now, I see a few changes that could have been made to the game. Like Magic for an instance" He let that linger there. Magic would have been a great addition to the game. "Also the not dying part would be nice" He made a half-hearted laugh and awaited for something to happen or for Itzal to say something. The game at first was interesting and scary, but now it was just a part of life. It was his life. 

84141 LD:11
Still 0 mats

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal stopped when he heard Jonathan correct himself and nodded a few times.  "Yeah that makes a little more sense.  Yeah I definitely need the skill points."  He listened as Jonathan told Itzal he wasn't in any real rush to purchase a house.  He nodded in understanding.  "Still, the offer is there.  Once I've purchased the house there isn't any real need for me to have col.  I can purchase equipment easily with materials so col becomes completely useless after this next purchase.  Most likely I'll be sending col to players who need it."  He listened to his friend talk about how magic should have been added to the game and a wide grin grew on his face.  "Actually, I've been working on a little project of mine.  It's been a goal of mine to create a virtual reality MMO myself so I've been writing down notes.  I've also been trying to work out a way to implement magic in a unique way that makes it effective, useful, and convenient.  Also yeah, players can respawn."  He spotted more materials and picked them up.  "Oh yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about something.  Beatbox told me about a rumor that there's a player who uses a one handed straight sword who's far more powerful than him.  There's a second rumor that assumes he's an orange player, and not like Aereth.  I'd like to see if these rumors are true though." 

ID# 84214  LD:  11+8  +4 MAT

@Morgenstern

Edited May 10, 2017 by Itzal

[Morgenstern 1]

The blond would continue his walk along with Itzal, searching for materials while having a good conversation going as well. Itzal told him his offer stood strong when it came to the col. Jonathan rubbed the back of his head. That just wasn't him to be able to just take things from his friend. He liked to think of himself as the supplier, helper, the one that cared for the rest. He didn't like it the other way around. Luckily, Itzal moved right along into the next topic. He told him that supposedly there was a player stronger that Beatbox that used the Straight Sword. Jonathan frowned and looked to the man. "How much better can you get? I mean, I literally gave Beat the most accurate weapon in the game." Jonathan stated plainly. He had not expected there to be much better that you could get. Beatbox was the perfect DPS. Not supposed to be able to be surpassed. "An an orange player?" He shifted uncomfortably. If a player that strong was a murderer, that could mean disaster. "If you even think about finding this player out, you better not do it without me. I would literally kill you if you died" The threat was empty, but it should be clear to Itzal that he meant it with a passion. He wasn't sure what he would do without Itzal. 

84257 LD:17

Mats: 1.... Yay.

 

[Itzal 0]

Itzal shrugged at Jonathan's comment.  "I'm not sure how much stronger.  Maybe he has a better demonic, maybe several.  Perhaps he's a better fighter, strategist.  Maybe he has a unique like some of the others out there I don't know.  It's a rumor was all."  Then Jonathan shifted in a rather...  Dangerous way when Itzal had mentioned how the player had an orange cursor.  He raised his hand a little to try to calm his friend down.  "Now we don't know if that means he's a murderer Jonathan, don't jump to conclusions.  You remember how Aereth got his cursor?  He could be the same but other's saw it differently.  Besides, he could have simply hit an ally by mistake during a battle.  You can get the orange cursor without killing players you know.  And Hikoru?  You remember how he got the cursor thanks to some stupid quest?"  When he reached the threat Itzal chuckled.  "I'm a strategic kid who hates going in blind and likes to have all loose ends tied as well as all my corners, blind spots, and weak points covered, and I over analyze everything.  You really think I'd keep you in the dark if I ran into him?" 

ID#  84263  LD:  5

@Morgenstern

Edited May 11, 2017 by Itzal

[Morgenstern 1]

Well... crap. I uh, put Battle Roll into the thing So I have to attack our dragon. 

Jonathan would listen to the man, contemplate about demonics and how that might have an effect on the playing field. He nodded. "Perhaps. I just don't like it" Then Itzal scolded him about jumping to conclusions about players. He rubbed the back of his head. "Well... you might be right about that. Listen to me though. Players don't just get the best equipment form being the nicest players around. They become the best as they focus on one thing alone. Survival." He let that sit there and heard brush movement. "I think our... guest... has arrived" Jonathan unsheathed his weapon and charged forward, slashing through the creature's body. His damage wasn't too great. It was a lot more than it originally was though. The burst of light from his weapon was gold and seemed to cut through the dragon quite easily. He felt bad about it, but it was getting done. 

Spoiler

84317 BD:10. Holy MD:4+1 LD:10
1+4+2+2+8=17*8=136-35=101 DMG dealt. 

[2]Morgenstern:  1000/1000 <> 93/100
@Itzal: XXXX/XXXX <> XXX/XXX

Zylara 74/175.   35 MIT

 

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened to Jonathan mention how players tended to get the best equipment through the will to survive, not from being nice.  Itzal nodded.  "That may be true at times...  But that doesn't make them invincible.  Nor any better."  He watched as the dragon emerged and Jonathan took the first shot.  With it's lowered health Itzal would be able to finish it off.  He sighed and released Meteor break, landing a hypercritical on the dragon and dropping it's health down to zero.  He sighed and stood there, taking a moment to breath.  Velnia landed on his shoulder and nuzzled against him, understanding the pain of it all.  "Regardless though, you know me.  I give everyone a chance no matter what.  I'm not stupid though....  I'm going to have to max out my dps skills before I can take him on.  Battle healing, Light armor, Charge, maybe even extended weight.  The mods as well.  Once I max them all out, I'll look for him.  All I need is a name and I can find him.  Perhaps the info brokers but I don't just want a name.  I need to see if anybody knows about him.  Get any info off of him I can."

ID#  84368  BD:  10

12+2x11-35=119 dmg

[2]@Morgenstern:  1000/1000 <> 93/100
@Itzal: 1,200/1,200 <> 109/120

Zylara 0/175.   35 MIT

Edited May 12, 2017 by Itzal

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan would stand there and watch as Itzal would move in, striking the dragon with great precision and accuracy. The creature was drained of life and immediately fell, dying. Jonathan turned away for a second. The idea of this entire questline was a little wacky. For a quest to be killing infants, the creator was a little off. He turned back to Itzal who casually resumed the conversation about the powerful player by stating what he would need in skill to defeat players like that. "Damage and defense are the two most important things you need" The man needed to have worked on this survival a long time ago. Instead, he had moved into scouting. scouting was a noble build, but were easily picked off by players and monsters. if it wasn't for himself, the man might have died quite a bit ago. "Should we head back now?" He asked. He knew the man enjoyed this floor, but he just wanted this questline done with.

84424  LD:15
Materials Gained: 2

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal stood there for a moment and nodded.  They should head back.  It was a long walk though so they would have some time to chat.  As the two started walking he heard Jonathan mention how damage and defense were his biggest goals at the moment.  "Well yes...  And no.  Statwise you are right, I need the highest form of evasion, accuracy, damage and mitigation.  But that's not going to give me an edge above another player, especially someone who's better than Beatbox.  I need something most players rarely think of:  Strategy.  After I learn more about this player I can plan accordingly.  Of course I'm not looking to fight him or anything.  Although I might learn a thing or two by having a friendly spar with him.  We'll see."  Velnia flew over to Sol and nuzzled herself against him with a smile on her maw.  It should be clear by now to the phoenix one or two things:  The obvious one was that she wouldn't leave him alone.  The second one was that she wanted to be his friend not cause him trouble.  Of course there was the bonus info:  Fire didn't really bother her.  She wanted to be friends with all the familiars and hopefully she would be able to do that one day.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan would stand there and listen to Itzal who went on about the player. It already seemed he was putting a lot of thought on this player. He was getting into stats and levels. Itzal never got like this when talking about players. Something was up. Itzal wasn't one to want to talk about fighting other players. Itzal even seemed to be trying to convince him that he wasn't interested in fighting the player. Even though he was preparing for it. "Perhaps you should drop it. You are getting way too eager. Are you trying to find a way to test yourself or something?" He had gone crazy with the mentioning of a strong player. It was as if he was trying to prove something. "We should start heading back now. Before it gets late. We can uh, start back up tommorow. Finishing these quests will help you get stronger" He sighed. He as just beginning to get in a mood where he was forcing himself to do things. He had to make himself do other things then sit around. Things were not keeping the same excitement that they used to hold.

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened to Jonathan as he mentioned Itzal was getting a little eager.  Itzal shrugged.  "I like to meet new people.  Plus I've dueled with Beatbox before.  I want to see what makes this guy stronger.  And besides, I don't mind a spar every now and then.  What's a half health duel going to do to me?"  Itzal nodded in agreement to Jonathan's statement.  "Yeah, the town is that way.  We'll hit it soon.  Tomorrow will be more eventful too since the Shaman is conscious.  He's in my shop but when I get my house I'll transfer him there so it will probably be after we talk to him."  Itzal wondered what Jonathan meant by helping Itzal get stronger.  What did he mean by that?  Itzal's been taking care of himself up till now and he always would.  He hated taking risks....  Although he did intend to grind experience like nothing before.  Fearx had sparked a fire that Itzal wasn't showing yet.  He would overcome his lifelong enemy and take him down.  Not kill him, never kill, but he would put an end to this stupid and pointless duel.  Itzal knew the general field in where Fearx like to work, what type of build he'd shoot for.  He'd be ready.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

The blond would stand there and listen as Itzal would explain that he liked to meet new people and what made them strive to get better. Then he asked what a half-health duel could possibly do to him. He rolled his eyes and put his finger to his chin and said, "Hmm. I wonder. What could a Half-health duel POSSIBLY do to Itzal? He would NEVER go crazy and attack as if it were a battle for life and death on his own best friend!" He added extra emphasis on his sarcasm. He chuckled and turned away, moving toward the town. Itzal then mentioned that the shaman was awake, and Jonathan nodded. "That is good news. We can ask some questions and get some answers. What are the goblins doing? Are the dwarves allowing these creatures to advance? What is going on is the biggest question. The goblins to me appear to be trying to advance, moving in with new advanced technology, and controlling the will of those who can use magic. Shaman's are more for nature and friendly things. Not an attacker" He explained. Itzal probably knew this already, but it felt good to contribute to the conversation again. 

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal laughed a bit lightly to Jonathan's comment and shook his head.  "It's not a duel to the death though, it's only a half health duel.  There's a very big difference, and I think a player at his strength and, most likely level, will understand that.  If this guy was an actual killer I'm pretty sure it would be solid fact rather than a rumor anyhow."  He smiled to Jonathan.  "However I appreciate your concern and I promise to get much more intel on this guy before even meeting with him ok?"  When Jonathan started talking about the Shaman Itzal listened and agreed.  "I agree.  Although, the reason the Shaman was being controlled could have been out of defense.  Don't forget that we've cleared many goblin based dungeons along the way so they might have become desperate and forced the shaman to fight for them."  He thought about something for a moment.  "I also got a dungeon map out of the blue as well.  Appeared in my inventory.  I'll investigate it soon.  Maybe it has info on the whole dwarf/goblin issue."

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

The man chuckled, leaving Jonathan to wonder if he understood the reference to one of their first times working together. He went on about the half-health duel and Jonathan had already lost most of his interest in the subject. Then the man stopped about it and promised to get more intel on the character before even going to search for him. Jonathan's question about this guy was how did Beatbox know that he was stronger, but not have much more information period? It was a brain game, but it was a minor detail Itzal began to talk about the shaman being used as Defense for the goblins, and that he was getting better. He also mentioned a dungeon map had appeared in his inventory, and pretty soon he would be exploring it. The blond nodded and said, "Perhaps we got it when we defeated the last dungeon and freed the shaman. It appears to be more of a sidequest. One that is unable to be taken by multiple players, but instead one group can take it. We just happened to be the one" The chances in that was low, but they had gotten the quest.

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Itzal thought about what Jonathan said and looked at the item in his inventory...  "...Maybe.  Regardless I'll investigate it when I can.  For now we need rest.  Well, that and other things...  Hey Jonathan?  When we see each other again..  I want to talk to you about the guild.  Something I need to discuss with you."  Itzal had been thinking for some time now.  The guild's focus was to aid weaker players and make them stronger, strong enough to aid the front lines.  But what if there were no players available?  Even if there were, Itzal felt they should have another purpose for the guild.  The aiding part would remain of course, but there was so much more they could do.  And with aiding players as their main goal, and strong morals as the heart of the guild, certainly finding other ways to assist wouldn't be too difficult right?  Itzal could only hope that this was the right course of action, as well as hope that the other paladins would agree.  He had a bad feeling that if they didn't do something soon then things were going to turn ugly fast.  He really was hoping that this feeling was wrong...  Unfortunately it usually wasn't.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan would turn back to Itzal as he mentioned them speaking about their guild the next time they seen eachother. The blond grimaced and replied, "Sure man! Anytime!" He was hoping that Itzal hadn't got bored with the guild and was deciding to leave like everyone else. Jonathan smiled weakly and turned away, beginning to head back to the teleport gate. He would be returning to the seventh floor to rest of the night. Itzal might be going on some other quest, but Jonathan had enough for just one day. The blond stepped upon the teleport gate and gave the second floor one final look. He couldn't believe it had been so long when he farmed this floor for kills. He had been so weak at that time, and now he was a frontliner, one of the best players in AIncrad. This floor had been a turning point for him. He had met Itzal, found out the meaning of a friend, had his first duel here. All of it had happened on this floor, and that was where his love for the floor came from. "Nimbus" he told the teleport gate.

Summary

2 SP Each